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Bullish on the Lakers

November 19, 2007 |  9:00 am

Kobe_bulls The grass always seems greener on the other side.  That is, of course, until said grass takes a visit to your home turf, shoots 35%, scores 32 points in the second half, and is on the wrong end of a 106-78 loss, as the Bulls were to the Lakers on Sunday.  So if Chicago indeed remains Kobe's desired destination, it probably doesn't look quite as lush and verdant as it might have a couple months back.  Not after the Lakers overcame some first half sloppi/sluggishness to blow the game open in the final 24 minutes.  It was a rally kicked off by the starters (Kobe and D-Fish keyed a nice little run to start the third) and blown open by the reserves, who continued their great play as a unit, accounting for 73 of L.A.'s 106 points.  The box shows five non-starters finished the game in double figures.  Clearly, if the supporting cast was initially bothered by the trade talk, they got over it (unlike their counterparts in Chicago), winning what looked like a few months back like possible homecoming game for a Bullish Kobe with a serious team effort.  Now, at least, things look far better as they are for 24.  Kobe, some say, even looks happy.

Chicago coach Scott Skiles called the Kobe-to-Chicago speculation a dead issue. It isn't, of course, until Kobe says he doesn't want to be moved, but at the very least, recent events might have put the trade talk in a nice deep coma. 

The news wasn't all positive, though, as Kwame Brown went down in the first quarter with knee and ankle injuries after colliding with Chicago's Ben Wallace.  He had to be helped off the court, and said he won't make this week's road trip back east.  Ronny Turiaf, who missed Sunday's game with a bum ankle, hopes to play Tuesday in Indiana.

A Q and A with Lakers draftee Marc Gasol, who is having himself a quality season in Spain.  My Spanish isn't good enough for a direct translation, but here's what the reader who sent the link said.  Obviously, additional input is welcome (thanks to Mark R. for the email!):

 

"...first, the story says that gasol has improved immensely since last year, emerging as the best player in spain's pro-league this year.  (el pais comes out of madrid, while gasol plays in girona, six hours away, so this is not a case of local boosterism.) his
stats so far for 32 minutes a game are 17.6 points, 6.4 rebounds, and 1.9
assists.  second, he says he's not sure if he'll want to come to the u.s. to
play in the nba.  he says nothing negative about the lakers, and is too smart
to comment on the kobe situation, but says he doesn't know if he wants to leave spain.  (i don't know enough about the local scene to know if that's just spin--being polite--or if he's genuinely uncertain.  and i don't read Spanish well enough to know if his choice of words offers subtle clues to those who can read between the lines.  i'll i can tell you is that his literal meaning is that he just doesn't know.)  but even though Spanish competition is not at nba level, it does sound as if he's got more potential than people thought even a few months ago, at draft time..."

 

More in: Extra! Extra!

The comments to this entry are closed.

Comments

BK,

"And if your kid is say, 2 and three months, just get him/her a fake ID"

LOL.. i don't think they even have "ID" at that age probably just birth certificate and you can make one of those in your sleep. But all kidding aside i got the impression they won't be too strict at admission as long as the little one is sucking on the bottle and is obviously looking like a little one around 2 that wont need his/her own seat.
Thanks again for the response.

Posted by: Violator | November 19, 2007 at 11:42 AM

Laker Truth,

>>>-The issue is not whether Kobe would rather play with Heinrich, Deng, and Gordan over Lamar, Luke and Cook. The issue is Kobe would rather play for Jim Paxon over Jim Buss.

Let me ask you, how has Jim Buss wronged Kobe again?

Posted by: HAB | November 19, 2007 at 11:43 AM

Lamar Odom for 6 games. Anybody notice the same old pattern developing?

18 points
12 points
10 points
25 points
9 points

this is what Mike Dunleavy is putting out for Indy, 25 points one night, then 10 points for a couple of games, then 25...

The extra points this year are coming from the bench, not the starting lineup, Farmar, Bynum, Radmanovic, now Bynum is going to be starting so Mihm will have to be depended on for about 15-20 minutes/game and hopefully give us around 10 points/game and once again... COOK IS BACK!!! Arrrrrghhhhhhh! Nocioni was going nuts everytime he had Cook on him... I have a question... does Cook even have ankles?? I've never seen such lead feet...

Posted by: TaosHum | November 19, 2007 at 11:44 AM

JAN
I’m going to jump on the 55 win bandwagon!!!
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
55 WIN BANDWAGON MEMBERS: 6 DOWN 49 GAMES TO GO OH YEAHHHHHHHHH!
THERE’S STILL PLENTY OF ROOM PEOPLE HOP ON BOARD
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1) LAKERTOM………………………..…(21) TALIQ…………………………………….(41) PURPLE & GOLD
(2) MAMBA24…………………………....(22) SLO GAL ………………………………..(42) THIRTY2
(3) LONG_TIME_LAKER_FAN……..…(23) DEREK…………………………………..(43) BLACKMAMBA24
(4) JUNO………………………………..(24) NIK KANAN…………………………..….(44) JUSTIN
(5) GENERIC_ONE……………………(25 AB…………………………………………(45) OutsiderGua
(6) HOBBITMAGE………………….…..(26) LAKER PHIL…………………………….(46) Violater
(7) MARTY……………………………....(27) LAKERLOVER………………………….(47) SHAQFAN
((8) DAVID WHANG…………………...(28) COMPLEX_BROTHA…………………..(48) Houston Laker
(9) ROKY…..……………………….…..(29) TSPHERE………………………………(49) JEFF
(10) KEIFO……………………………..(30) WHITE MAMBA24 ……………………..(50) JANAYA
(11) VIOLATER…………………...……(31) LAKALOVA……………………………...(51) Complex Brother
(12) DICE8UP………………………....(32) EASTCOASTJESSIE…………………..(52) KobesBaaad
(13) HUBBIT…………………………...(33) Q WUOR………………………………..(53) JAN
(14) BD…………………………………(34) LAKERAHOLIC –> GUNNING FOR 60 (54)
(15) JONNIN IN JAPAN………………(35) TSIRY
(16) ALEXINHO17…………………….(36) DREW
(17) TWOODY…………………………(37) Nestro’s Bistro
(18) KIWI……………………………….(38) BLAZE1BX
(19) FEARLESS WHACK JOB………(39) BZAR
(20) DAN DAN THE LAKER FAN…...(40) CHRIS H.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Members at heart
(53) Bob……………… (54) Faith…………. (53) LakerLover…
56) Issang

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
READY TO JUMP ON THE BANDWAGON BUT:
(57) RICK FRIEDMAN - NEEDS APOLOGIES FROM KOBE, FO AND ALL CONCERNED
(58) utzworld THE BANNER HOLDER - WAITING FOR JIM BUSS TO RESIGN
(55) CBUCK - When we reach 55 cbuck will be number 55 so climb aboard folks

Posted by: MAMBA24 | November 19, 2007 at 11:47 AM

lakers_sth

At this point of the season they still believe we are a flop (lol) but despite that are strength of schedule was the hardest in the league so that should speak loud enough to move us up the rankings. However it is early so we are not in danger of missin the major BCS Bowl game lol

Posted by: Bonez | November 19, 2007 at 11:48 AM

Cook is only starting so Walton can stay with the second unit.

Posted by: zen | November 19, 2007 at 11:49 AM

Ak/Bk

Are yall traveling with the team on the road trip?

Posted by: Bonez | November 19, 2007 at 11:51 AM

HAB.............FOR-REAL..........DUMB-ASS...........REALLY
WOW I havn't been here to clean up the blog in a while.....
FIRST OFF WHO ARE U???????.........seriously.......Do you even play ball.........I am tired of all these you-tube.....sportcenter.......NBA.TV.......BASKETBALL GILLIGAN'S.......Who think they know basketball because they watch the game's look at sportcenter an read new's paper clipping that make's you an basketball expert???????.
Oh I get it because PJ called VLAD a space cadet it must be true........Lookey here GILLIGAN......stop listening to the SKIPPER an come to your own conclusion.
What I remember because I watched the game VLAD had a game of his life......he hit like 4-5 three's found his stroke his MO-JO.......HELL..... he did a little shimmy for you an then PJ called him a space cadet for not running the offense.
????? HOW MANY PLAYERS GET THE (TRI) THEY FIRST YEAR UHMM.......
LOOKEY HERE WHY DONT YOU GO TO THE Y.M.C.A PICK UP A BASKET-BALL......RUN A GAME ARE (2) THEN COME BACK AN POST........UNTIL THEN YOU HAVE NO RIGHT 2 CALL ANY-ONE DUMBASS........THAT'S IN THE LEAGUE RIGHT-NOW.........OK PUMKIN.

PS
Im going to leave my broom an mop by the computer just in case I have to do some more cleaning

COMPTON

Posted by: COMPTON'S FINEST | November 19, 2007 at 11:59 AM

bonez-

Nope. We're actually headed back to St. Louis for the holiday. I'm not sure how much we'll be traveling for roadies this year. That was probably it for a while, but we'll see.

BK

Posted by: Brian Kamenetzky | November 19, 2007 at 12:07 PM

ex,

If not getting into Kobe ball mode counts as making his teammates better, than yes, he is. lol

Posted by: Xodus | November 19, 2007 at 12:08 PM

COMPTONS FINEST,
"Im going to leave my broom an mop by the computer just in case I have to do some more cleaning"

Hey you swept some of that stuff on my keyboard. LOL!

Posted by: MAMBA24 | November 19, 2007 at 12:12 PM

HAB
YOUR (MF) FOOL IF YOU THINK VLAD COULD'NT PLAY FOR ANY BODY ELSE.........Vlad gotten offers from just about every team in the league......when he was on the market......cant say the same for half the lakers on this team.
PHOENIX
DALLAS
HOUSTON
HORNET
DENVER
CLIPPERS
SPURS
TEAMS HE GOT OFFERS FROM........ HE SIGN WITH THE LAKERS BECAUSE WE PROMISE HIM HE WOULD START.
ALL THESE

Posted by: COMPTON'S FINEST | November 19, 2007 at 12:14 PM

"Let me ask you, how has Jim Buss wronged Kobe again?"
Posted by: HAB | November 19, 2007 at 11:43 AM

Jimbo:
-got rid of Kobe's confidant and mentor, Jerry West, to take over the GM duties. How the hell do you not do everything in your power to keep the greatest Laker of all time in your organization?

-refused to trade for arguably the best point guard in the league in Jason Kidd, and thereby forming possibly the best backcourt in NBA HISTORY, to hold onto a 19 year old project, after the FO PROMISE that the team will not be rebuilding and will contend NOW.

-forced Kobe to play alongside Smush in the backcourt for TWO years of his prime. (did I mention Cook, Samaki Walker, Jason Tierre, Vlade Divac, Shammond, Aaron McKie, Luke, Slava, Sasha, etal?)

-traded Kobe's buddy and future all-star Caron (and Atkins) for Kwame without any notice.

-, the INSIDER, lied to the media to place the entire blame on Kobe regarding Shaq's departure.

Any more questions?

Posted by: LAKER TRUTH | November 19, 2007 at 12:18 PM

Bring C-WEBB now! An upgrade over Kwame.

Posted by: maddog usa | November 19, 2007 at 12:26 PM

Is Jim Buss going to WIN the executive of the year or what?

Posted by: maddog usa | November 19, 2007 at 12:30 PM

i like the 3-headed dragon tag. the situation in chicago wasn't always the 3-headed monster... sometimes they called it the 4-headed monster... it was never a consistent thing... over the years it included longley, perdue, carwright, wennington, williams and king. most of the guys nevered logged big minutes or big numbers... and there were plenty of injuries to go around.

hopefully kwame wont be out too long. i agree, the hit he took from wallace was pretty hard. the thing is, he's one of those guys who's missed a lot of games over the course of his career.. he doesn't seem to heal real fast. same can be said for mihm and for that matter, odom. i agree with others... you can never have enough bigs... ESPECIALLY when some of them seem so injury prone.

it's nice to see that bynum, at least to this point in his career (knock on wood), seems pretty durable. he's not a big minutes guy yet (for all the reasons that have been discussed over and over - conditioning, learning curve, etc.), but at least he doesn't seem injury prone. plus, there's an obvious desire for improvement.

i'm hoping, like pretty much everyone else, that we can keep at least 2 of our 3 heads functioning at any one time this year... we were way too snake-bit last year!

Posted by: dave m | November 19, 2007 at 12:37 PM

Just want to say how much fun I am having watching the Lakers this season. For all those "fans" who supposedly "loved the Lakers forever" but wouldnt watch and blah blah..well you are gone, no longer on the blog so that just shows the real truth. Yeah I might have pissed a few off when I called you Kobe Lovers or not true Laker fans...but where are you right now??? Exactly.

Also nice to see that everyone on the blog loves the Lakers. Its cool to come hear such good things to lift our spirits. The Lakers are not only winning, but a fun team to watch. How fun is it to see Farmar, Bynum play together?? This Lakers bench reminds me of my favorite team which you should know by now was the 90s Lakers of Van Exel, Eddie Jones etc. Farmar's quick dashes to the basket I know would have remind Chick Hearn of Nick-the-Quick.

As far as the starters, Id still like to see much more. But problem is that they are really inconsistent in terms of the lineup. With Turiaf, Kwame Odom all missing this season that unit has struggled. God only knows what would happen if FIsher got hurt.

Thats why the second unit is to important. They are cohesive group of young guys. Remember, Vlad and Luke are sort of the used to be young guys on the verge of being a veteran, but they're trippy personalities fit in well. I think I mentioned how fun hanging out with the beach boy and the space cadet. Farmar is owning his city once again. His play reminds me of UCLA and even more so his play at Taft H.S.

The one guy I wish I knew more about was Bynum. Doesnt really talk a lot, and seems quiet on the court. Whats his personality like? He doesnt seem like the "big guy just let me finish it" sort of player like Shaq or Stoudamire are, but he has a great feel around the basket. I wonder how he fits in. Does he want the ball everytime. Does he like passing? Does he like rebounding? I feel like Phil Jackson is REALLY protecting him right now..probably Jim Buss's doing.

That being said, Phil Jackson has to be given his props this year. He is really finally coaching to THIS team. I felt like the last couple of years he was coaching this team like the Lakers of pre-title run. He is sort of adjusting either his strategy or offense to the strengths of his team.


Posted by: The Lake-Show | November 19, 2007 at 12:38 PM

There are two DUMBASSES on the Laker team right now - Kwame and Radman, and a third one I am worried about - Critter.

It's a combination of court play and interviews. Not that athletes have to be Einsteins to be a part of a contending team, but their mindset has to be right. Both Kwame and Rad are in it for the money, and they're too dumb to even know how to hide it.

Critt sounds like he just took about five bong hits every time he is interviewed. Unfortunately for him, he hasn't. You can't be dumb as dirt and be a key piece on a Championship team.

I hope I wrong on Critt. There is still a chance.

Posted by: HAB | November 19, 2007 at 12:39 PM

Okay, quick quiz. Who has the highest PER on the Lakers?

Don't peak. Post your guess here before you go check.

Posted by: Long Time Laker Fan | November 19, 2007 at 12:40 PM

Wow, what a game!

- Kobe is not going to lead the NBA in scoring this year, but he will be the MVP. The only thing keeping that from him in past years has been the overall win-loss record, and we're breaking 55 this year.

- Contrary to popular belief, Kwame is a vital part of this team, and we're going to miss him while he's out. Here's to a speedy recovery, Kwam. Don't overdo it on the turkey and stuffing.

- Andrew is slowly but surely developing into that low-post threat that Kobe needs to really be effective. In the finals this year it's going to be our fearsome threesome (Kobe, Lamar, Drew) versus theirs (Garnett, Allen, Pierce). Isn't it ironic that Red's constant criticism of Phil (that he didn't grow his own teams) is going to apply more to the Cs than to Phil's Lakers when they meet in the finals? I hope that Satan lets Red watch in between scourgings.

- Farmar is doing exactly what Fish did our first championship run with Phil: coming off the bench and playing most of the minutes in the position, while learning from a gracious and crafty vet starting the game. Farmar is being groomed to take over this team and run the point for Kobe and Bynum for the next decade.

- Andrew is going to be a BEAST.

Posted by: SBPimp | November 19, 2007 at 12:46 PM

HAB-

Wow. You seem to have woken up on the judgemental side of the bed this morning. How you can decide Crittendon is a dumbass based on the media exposure he's had this year is beyond me. My conversations with him have all been pretty good. He's a nice kid- kid being the operative word. I don't agree with (what seem like) low evaluations of Kwame and Vlad's intelligence (as people, not hoopsters) either. On the court, those two do get a little lost, sometimes. That I'll grant you.

BK

Posted by: Brian Kamenetzky | November 19, 2007 at 12:46 PM

There's a comment in nba.com's power rankings that I really like. It's in the comment for Phoenix:

"The Suns have five straight wins, and with their next four against Pacific teams not named the Lakers, they
might not lose again for a while."

Nice.

Posted by: Long Time Laker Fan | November 19, 2007 at 12:49 PM

Just like I thought this summer....winning cures all !

Posted by: LALAKERLOVER | November 19, 2007 at 12:50 PM

LTLF - Farmar

Posted by: SBPimp | November 19, 2007 at 12:50 PM

this is my first time blogging but i have been reading the blogs you people have been posting for over a year now. I've come to learn that there are kobe haters and kobe lovers. I couldn't help but notice there are some KOBE FANS before LAKERS fans, due to this, heart is broken. WE ARE LAKERS! not KOBE. theres no KOBE in team. Kobe is my favorite player but if we have to trade him, go for it. i would've have been scared if the lakers pulled the trigger last year, but this year, the way BABY BYNUM or "SOCKS" (which some of you like to call him) and FARMAR are playing, give it one or two more years, we might be an elite team with say MARION/LAMAR/BYNUM but thats just a thought. Bynum is becoming a beast. I would've traded him last year, but this year so far, i dont know. he's proving us (Bynum haters) wrong. So, i tell you this, if KOBE was to win another championship, he'd stay with the LAKERS. Kobe will never win a championship without that all-star center. and BYNUM is almost (2 yrs) from there.


p.s i will be posting from now on. So i guess you can all treat me as a rookie or whatever..haha i enjoy reading your blogs. but i must say, i dont wanna be a blogger whos hated(like some), but that roll call thingy, i used to love, but its kinda annoying to see it every morning i read the blog. maybe if i see my name there, i'd love it. LoL
good day ya'll...

Posted by: afrojoe | November 19, 2007 at 12:51 PM

Oh Boy.....lots to like and a fair amount to shake your head at. Just like this team which will continue to improve if, and this is a big if, it can stay healthy. Last year was a wash out because almost everybody got hurt and those that didn't were too young or under performing to do anything about it. Had Kobe just chalked it up like an adult team leader, the entire three ring Kobe circus would have been avoided. Now what needs to happen is for everyone to shut up and play so we can actually take a real hard look at what we have. I have been a fan since the early 60's so I have suffered and seen the triumphs as well. This team looks like it can be very good this year and if Bynum and Farmar move as we all hope a truly terrific team within 18 months and maybe sooner. Health and leadership from Kobe, Fish & PJ are going to be critical here because the place everyone needs to improve the most is between the ears.

We may have a load of fun yet.

Posted by: Mark Bernstein | November 19, 2007 at 12:51 PM

Violator - Everyone has their favorites but there is only one all-encompassing defensive stat that I know of. Points per possession allowed. No matter how fast or slow the pace of the game is, when the opponent comes down the floor, how often do they score? All the traditional defensive stats - Points Allowed, Opp FG%, BPG, SPG, Defensive Rebounding, TOs caused etc - tell incomplete stories. Points per possession takes everything into account.

It's a young season, but the team with the best defense stats wise is Boston. They are allowing 93 points per 100 possessions (or .93 points per possession). In turn, the Lakers allow 104 points per 100 possessions (or 1.04 points per possession). Once we hit mid-season and everyone has pretty much played each other - this stat will be more accurate in determining which are the truly best defensive teams out there.

Here's the stat so far for all NBA teams (PPP allowed for 100 possessions):
BOS - 93
NO - 97
HOU - 99
PHX - 100
SAS - 100
TOR - 100
DEN - 101
DET - 101
LAC - 101
PHI - 101
MIA - 102
NJN - 102
UTAH - 102
CHI - 103
DAL - 103
IND - 103
ORL - 103
LAL - 104
WAS - 104
SEA - 105
CHA - 106
MIL - 106
ATL - 107
POR - 107
CLE - 108
NY - 108
MEM - 111
MINN - 112
SAC - 112
GSW - 118

Posted by: lakers_sth | November 19, 2007 at 12:52 PM

Compton,

I wrote a post to tell AK/BK to give you my email. I'll meet you in Compton for a little one-on-one and see what you got.

I used to play around South Central back in the day. I doubt you have.

I know Rad could be on other teams. So what? He is still a dumbass.

I didn't go by Phil's opinions. My own opinions. But Phil's opinions are better than yours. LIMITED MINUTES. There is a reason.

Posted by: HAB | November 19, 2007 at 12:53 PM

If Javaris was drafted by the Cavs, he would be in the rookie All-star team. Mike Conley is not getting minutes behind Stoudemire and Lowry, Rodney Stuckey is injured. Acie Law doing fine in Atlanta.

How is Javaris going to get minutes behind Fisher and Farmar?

Posted by: Staples 24 | November 19, 2007 at 12:54 PM

HAB and in regards to Kwame Brown,

I am not sure why people get so mad at some pro athletes, especially basketball players. When you were growing up, how many times was there some tall kid that you made play basketball just because he was tall? You know you asked the guy "how tall are you" and "do you play basketball". To me, Kwame seems to be one of those guys who is superbly gifted physically. He is tall, strong, athletic. Kind of seems like his whole life people made him play basketball and he figured he could make good of his life following what everyone said about him.

I think that people like you are COMPLETE FOOLS for getting mad at pro athlets when they seem like they are playing for money. Who pays their salaries? Owners? NO. YOU DO. Society pays athletes. How can you fault Kwame Brown for pursuing his life choice when probably his whole life, people told me to become basketball player. Forget college, just go pro to make money.

Let me ask you. If you had opportunity to make $10 million dollars a year to play basketball would you do it? For the love of the game, or because it's one hell of a deal. Now think about that at age 17, and you dont have any other skill sets because youve been grown to become a basketball player purely.

I think its utterly ridiculous in what you're saying. These guys are all in charge of their livelihood. Kwame and Radmanavoic are just like top tier executives or consultants who market themselves as a product or asset to make money. They all made life investmants. All the hours and time they dedicated to become basketball players is the investment and their contracts are the payout

If you have a problem with this idea (and btw Kobe is probably the best in the NBA at thinking about himself as an asset) than stop going to games, dont watch them on tv either because you're just watching the commercials that companies pay the Lakers to put on during Laker games. Dont buy jerseys. Dont support professional sports in general.

But most of all dont blame Kwame Brown. Does everybody love what they do? Do accountants love their job or do they enjoy the perks and money? Did the garbage man want to be a garbage man as a little kid? THe sewer cleaner? The gardener? You have NO IDEA why Kwame does he what he does, but to call him a fool makes YOU A FOOL.

Posted by: The Lake-Show | November 19, 2007 at 12:56 PM

"refused to trade for arguably the best point guard in the league in Jason Kidd, and thereby forming possibly the best backcourt in NBA HISTORY, to hold onto a 19 year old project, after the FO PROMISE that the team will not be rebuilding and will contend NOW.
"

Once again - that trade would have left the Lakers without any inside presence last season. And frankly, the way that Fisher, Farmar, Kwame, and Bynum have been playing this year - they'd be weaker now if they'd made that trade - as well as weaker for years to come. Refusing to make a stupid trade is not wronging Kobe.

Posted by: akrasian | November 19, 2007 at 01:03 PM

The Lake-Show,

"Does he want the ball everytime. Does he like passing? Does he like rebounding? I feel like Phil Jackson is REALLY protecting him right now..probably Jim Buss's doing."

I think Bynum becomes tentative too easily on the offensive side still. He definitely is increasing in the confidence department, but he isn't at the point where he would yell at Kobe to "get him the damn ball!".

Last night he had a guy guarding him, B-Wallace, that he could have dominated. He should have fought harder for good position and yelled for the ball. He's shown to be a good (and improving passer) and I believe that this offense would be so much better with an inside out attack.

Other than that, Bynum is showing steady levels of energy and I really, REALLY like the way he crashes the board and seems to want the ball down there.

Posted by: Andrew Z | November 19, 2007 at 01:05 PM

Some stats that caught me be surprise

We are the number one rebounding team....46.77
We've held the opposition to 42.2% shooting....ranks 2nd nba
11th in ft% at 76%
We're 3rd in the nba in steals pg at 9.55

Posted by: Bonez | November 19, 2007 at 01:07 PM

LOL!

K Brothers! I was just thinking to write about Marc Gasol, and you just do it before!

I think that the Lakers have to make a direct look at Marc Gasol. He is actually the best player in the mighty spanish League, and near week after week he is the most valuable player.

In comparision to his brother Pau, Marc is less athletic and quick, but he has more body and power.

Posted by: Alexinho17 | November 19, 2007 at 01:07 PM

It is looking like kobe's comments over the summer have stoked the fire in the belly of bynum....drew is on a mission and i like what i see this kid will only get better like farmer and Vlad, omg this is getting good.

Mamba24

Say bro get that 60 win band wagon cranked up again...The Angels are singing and everything is great in Laker Nation.

Posted by: WHITE MAMBA 24 | November 19, 2007 at 01:10 PM

HAB
"VLAD IS IN IT FOR THE MONEY"..............FOR-REAL..........SERIOUSLY.........your sounding like a complete DUM-DUM right now........VLAD TURNED DOWN 60 MILLION FROM THE SONIC'S-AND AN (EXT) FROM THE CLIPPERS TO TAKE LESS MONEY TO PLAY FOR THE LAKERS...........Why you ask??????? because he was promised a starting job.
AK-BK
Please take away this fool blogging card.
COMPTON

Posted by: COMPTON'S FINEST | November 19, 2007 at 01:11 PM

I have been a long time "trade Chris Mihm" preacher but I think he is playing some of the best ball he has played in a Laker uni. He seems much more confident eveywhere, he is going to the basket with authority more often. I questioned his re-signing but I think the Lakers got a good deal on him. The 10 mil he wanted was way out of line but I think after all said and done we got a good bargin.

I did not see the Kwame debacle last night. (If anyone has found a youtube or video post, please post it). My daughter wanted to finish Ratatoullie before the game came on. I got lucky I guess I got to see only the good half of the game. Farmar truly is the spark I wanted him to be. He is becoming fearless. Andrew is surprising me in a vey good way so far. I just hope it can last. He can not afford to disappear in January again. Lamar might just make the all star game this year. I would like to see it.

Sasha even came out looking for something to prove last night. It was fun to see the little buddy come in with a chip.

Last night was good over all and everybody works hard to continue.

We may just have something here.

T-Woody

Posted by: TWoody | November 19, 2007 at 01:12 PM

Jimbo got rid of West? and you know this how?

West left like what, in 2001? Was Jimbo even there yet? All I ever heard was West left because mostly because of Phil.

Refused to trade for Kidd? Even if Bynum was't kicking azz as much as he is now, that'll still be a dumb argument. Mitch, Jimbo, and even Magic said there were gearing up for the Garnett trade. They all said that's the only trade they were seriously pursuing. If they shipped Drew out in Feb, they'd have not shot at KG in the summer. Not to mention, they'd have to ship out Kwame and other filler for Kidd's 20 Mil per contract. What's more, I saw Kobe interviewed a couple of days before the deadline in Feb and he was asked if he wanted to play with Kidd. He said "well, Jason is a good player, we have to look at it". Didn't sound like he wanted him at the time to me.

Every GM has made bad trades. Even Jerry West has a long list of bad picks and trades in his career.

Insider leak. Jimbo should have been smarter than Kobe and bit his tongue, but Kobe did throw the first punch at him, and Kobe was the reason Shaq was traded. Who, outside of local Kobe homers doesn't know it. Nobody.

Posted by: HAB | November 19, 2007 at 01:14 PM

Samski,

"Kwame Brown is made of GLASS"

Kwame is not glass but a hard leather like that of an American Buffalo.

Unfortunately, he was hit by a Rhino at his back, there is no D on that. So our Bull went down in pain.

I hope you guys will say good wishes to Kwame that he gets well rather than roast him this Thanksgiving Week. Without Kwame, we won't have won against Phoenix, Houston and the Jazz. Well, Kwame is a real player while his agent on the blog is not a real b'ball analyst. So don't blame Kwame whatever the pseudo analyst said. lol!

Lakers won w/o Kwame but he was on their mind.

Posted by: Edwin Gueco | November 19, 2007 at 01:14 PM

Staples 24,

Regarding Javaris. I truly believe he will get minutes next year. Due to the Phil-isms he will not this year. (Which is too bad.) If we don't resign Sasha and Mo, I'll be happy to se Coby and JC earn somee next year. I saw this kid for one game in Vegas and he is a baller. I believe he and Farmar will be each others back up, and Fisher will become the Ron Harper of the 2001-2002 season in two years.

But I would love to see him play the 1-2 guard postions....

Posted by: Charles | November 19, 2007 at 01:19 PM

LAKERS CELTICS a game to watch again.

Bynum Garnett
Odom Pierce
Bryant Allen

Whose bench is better? hahaha!

Danny Ainge landed Garnett and Allen but looses to the Lakers. EAST-WEST rivalry is back. Sweet! Now, if we could just get Spurs, Suns, Mavs, Hornets, Jazz, Rockets and Nuggets out of the way.. what a time to get back in the Finals with the Celtics waiting for the Lakers. The Kwame injury maybe a blessing in disguise. We all know the weaknesses, it's time to bring in the reinforcement. Who would it be? That would get us over the TOP.

Lakers job openning:

Position: Center/Power Forward
Description: A BIG with basketball talent and playoff experience is prefered.
Responsibilty: To help the Lakers get to the Finals

Posted by: Staples 24 | November 19, 2007 at 01:19 PM

Lake-show,

You point is a good one. But most athletes are smart enough not to look into the camera and say "this is my contract year, so I am going to step it up"

This is what I am talking about. I knew Kwame was dumb and heartless before, but that line he uttered during preseason just takes the cake.

It's fine to have players like that on the team, just don't expect them to make major contributions to winning titles.

Posted by: HAB | November 19, 2007 at 01:20 PM

AK/BK,

Good pick up on the Gasol article. So I have a few things that I read (I know spanish) so a few things struck with me. First thing that you have to consider is that pro athletes in other countries are different than here. I compared Gasol to a guy like Christan Rinaldo (portugese footballer) instead of, say, Jermaine O'neal. They see sports differently, there is more emphasis about location rather than team, and money is a different issue. Plus their status is different.

For example, Gasol mentioned that NBA players are treated like megastars, and that because of the money factor, there is a high competition. Reading between the lines, he sounded a bit like Andrew Bogut saying that it was all about the bling.

However Gasol isnt stupid, probably advised by his bro Pau. He was asked what he will do when his contract with his team is over, and he said that he will wait to become a free agent so that he can see "what makes him most happy." Will it be the money and glory the NBA offers? Or the familiarity and rising status he has in Spain. But of course he acknowledges that he has more to gain in the U.S.

Gasol cited that his rise in play was his conditioning. I believe he said that his conditioning was seen as an issue while here in the U.S. I guess working out for the draft, as well as staying with Pau in Memphis (says he lived in Memphis for a bit this summer). He has a strict diet that his girlfriend cooks him and he does a lot of running/conditioning stuff and is set up with a trainer.

As far as the Lakers I see that he is intrigued but mentioned that the Lakers "obviously revolve around Kobe" but wont comment anymore than that. Nice move eh?

So between the lines I would say that the Lakers will have to offer Gasol more money than another Spanish team would offer him. But considering the play that Navarro has been putting up this year, I think Gasol would be intrigued by the opportunity to come and play right away in the NBA and translate his skill set here. But again, money will be an issue

Posted by: The Lake-Show | November 19, 2007 at 01:22 PM

AK&BK:

If he were to take off his shamrock green coat, I just wondered how Kevin McHale feels now about the Celtics trade after the great start by the Lakers and the play of Bynum and Farmar? I disagreed with you guys back when the trade went down. No way Al Jefferson, Ryan Gomes, Gerald Green, Sebastian Telfair, and Theo Ratliff were a better offer for Garnet than the Lakers could make. It all came down to two Celtics who just wanted to screw the Lakers and help out Boston. The trade will cause McHale to finally lose his GM job at Minny.

Tom

Posted by: LakerTom | November 19, 2007 at 01:27 PM

Hab,

I totally disagree with you on Vlad Radmanovic. He is a clean shooter on a right paw but not on his left hand as discovered by Norm Nixon. Did you watch their feature H-o-r-s-e game with Norm? He was betting $ 10 at mid court lost on 10 but won on $ 20 farther than mid court.

Vlad is one of the barometer player of the Lakers similar to Kobe, LO, Bynum and Farmar. If he gets a good game, then there is a greater probability that they will win the game. 20 points to Vlad is easy 7 free throws (one missed), 2 FG's, 3 Perimeter Shots. Give him 20 minutes on the floor with Kobe, Farmar and Bynum feeding him he could easily achieve this. Why did I picked these guys well they attracted guards in the posts and Vlad was left alone on the corner or at the 45 degrees angle. I'm not a good player like you which you claimed I just have a gut feeling when I see a good shooter.

Posted by: Edwin Gueco | November 19, 2007 at 01:30 PM

Charles and Staples,
"Regarding Javaris. I truly believe he will get minutes next year."

Look at how Farmar and Bynum are doing so far this year, and assume (for the sake of argument) that they continue to play well and improve at a reasonable rate.

It validates PJs technique of bringing players along slowly. No reason not to do the same with Crittenden.

Posted by: exhelodrvr | November 19, 2007 at 01:37 PM

Lake Show,

I re-read you post, and see that you completely missed my point.

I am talking about athletes playing for money. Of course most of them are playing for the money. I am talking how they present themselves. It was dumb of Shaq to talk about money, but it's that much dumber of Kwame.

"This is my contract year, so I have to step it up" You have to say you want to win Championships if you want to win Championships.

Posted by: HAB | November 19, 2007 at 01:37 PM

Speaking of Marc Gasol who is over pricing himself and have a preconditioned attitude as a rookie, I guess why don't we package him w/ Lue and others to get Kevin Love or O. J. Mayo.

If you are new in the NBA, I don't care if you're first draft or second, got to be generous with your opinion, don't send signals of being another prima donna even if you belong to a royalty in Europe. Once you learn the ropes, have grown horns and wings with tails then you do devilish talks like Ginobli or Parker because you have proven your worth as a winner.

Posted by: Edwin Gueco | November 19, 2007 at 01:44 PM

just a question. what is the longest winning streak the Lakers have had post Shaq?

Posted by: darock | November 19, 2007 at 01:47 PM

 
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